[2][3] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964 and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1967.

Chesney was a judge on the San Francisco Municipal Court, California from 1979 to 1983.

She was a judge on the Superior Court of California, City and County of San Francisco, appointed and subsequently elected from 1983 to 1995.

In 1994, Chesney was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California vacated by John P. Vukasin Jr., but the United States Senate took no action on the nomination.

However, President Clinton successfully resubmitted the nomination on January 24, 1995, and Chesney was confirmed by the Senate on May 8, 1995, receiving her commission on May 10, 1995.